A viral video showing police officers assaulting a young man and a woman inside a student hostel in Ede, Osun State, has drawn widespread public anger.

Many residents are demanding that the officers be identified and disciplined. The footage, which has circulated widely on social media, shows uniformed personnel manhandling the two occupants. Many viewers say the conduct falls well short of the standard expected of the police and shows little regard for citizens’ rights.

Responding to the outcry, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 11 Headquarters, Osogbo, AIG Bassey S. Ewah, has ordered an investigation. A statement issued by the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ojedele Olanrewaju Tunji, confirmed that the officers involved have been identified and that the command has begun looking into their conduct. The incident reportedly happened on Wednesday.

The AIG said the Nigeria Police Force does not condone brutality, intimidation or abuse of power by its personnel. He acknowledged that officers have a constitutional duty to enforce the law and maintain order, but said they must do so professionally and with restraint. He added that officers must respect the dignity and fundamental rights of every individual, whatever the circumstances of an arrest or operation.

Any officer found culpable, he warned, will face appropriate disciplinary action.

The National Association of Nigerian Students, Southwest Zone D, has also condemned the incident. In a statement signed by its Coordinator, Comrade Kayode Adeyemo, the group said the hostel is occupied by students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede. It described the operation as brutal and unprofessional, saying video evidence shows armed officers forcing their way in and physically manhandling a male and a female student.

According to the association, the officers also confronted another student who was filming from a separate building, seized his device and stopped the recording.

NANS said the officers have been linked to the Zone 11 Cybercrime Unit, though their formation has not been formally confirmed. It added that the families and student leaders have not been told the condition or whereabouts of the affected students, who are believed to have been taken to a police station.

The group demanded that the command confirm the unit’s involvement, name the officers and disclose where the students are being held. It also called for access for their families and lawyers, medical examination of the students, the return of seized phones and preservation of all video evidence.

The students’ body stressed that it does not oppose legitimate cybercrime investigations, but said an inquiry does not give officers licence to invade student residences, brutalise occupants or intimidate witnesses. It threatened to petition the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission and the National Human Rights Commission if the matter is ignored. AIG Ewah assured residents of Osun and Oyo states that Zone 11 remains committed to professionalism, discipline and accountability.